Fly the Unregulated and Defenseless U.S. – Mexican Border

Right now, as thousands of Americans are being pointlessly poked and prodded in a security theater session by the stage props, known as the T.S.A. Illegal and unregistered aircraft are regularly entering American airspace over the continental United States. These aircraft will enter unchallenged, and there will be no fighter jets scrambled to intercept them or surface to air missiles on standby to eradicate an unknown air incursion over the continental United States.

While on the border, I encountered several low flying, privately owned aircraft that did not display on public flight tracking data. These aircraft operated at a median of 500ft above ground level, without operating lights, in no to low population areas, and at slow speeds. They flew on a South to North axis from Mexico. These aircraft are being tracked on a number of radar systems, such as the Tethered Aerostat Radar System, or TARS but little to nothing is being done about them, or what they are doing in American Airspace.

A Tethered Aerostat Radar System in West Texas. Image courtesy of Buck Clay.

I asked the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents on the ground, throughout later encounters with CBP, and even when I spoke to the CBP union as to nature of these aircraft. In response, was the unfortunate conclusion that I had already come to. These aircraft were illegally operated by unknown persons, and the only recourse that federal agents on the ground have against these aircraft is, “to get a tail number.”

That’s right if you happen to be on the ground when one of these aircraft are overhead, get a tail number. The southern border of the continental United States of America is defended by, the possibility that we may see you, and if we do, we may get your tail number. A tail number, because that’s effective. After all, page one of every criminal, foreign agent, terrorist, and smuggler handbook states that one must, register your aircraft and flight plan while making an illegal incursion across international borders

There is some logic to getting a tail number, for accountability or tracking, but an attempt to get a tail number is as far as it typically goes. Even so, these illegal aircraft are not flying in for vacation. They are typically flying into airdrop their cargo at a designated drop zone, or will deploy their cargo using GPS beacons for smugglers on the ground to track and recover. For more precious cargo they will make a quick landing in the middle of nowhere. More often than not what is delivered is not on the ground for long, and by the time a course can be projected, the aircraft in question is already gone.

Although it will be rough, a landing zone is only limited by the imagination and skill of the pilot in Americas’ Southwest. Image courtesy of Buck Clay.

It would not be difficult to load up a small cargo plane full of Russian intelligence operatives, and then hook them up on static line parachutes. They could jump from 1,000 ft with some cargo, over the southwest American desert to gather intelligence and conduct sabotage on the many military installations in that region. The civilian aircraft that delivered them would return to Mexico with no-one even slightly aware of what really just happened.

I purpose Russians as a foreign intelligence example over terrorist or criminals – Russians for real and clear threat reasons. Yet as for terrorists, they often lack the fundamentals to execute such a feat successfully and for criminals, the only reason to do such a thing would be for the fun of it. I propose to stop concerning yourselves with migrants and refugees, yes to an extent the terrorist that the mainstream media has everyone in a frenzy about. Watch for exploitation by a foreign military or intelligence service and for the cartels and criminals who make the border what it is, an avenue of approach for evil.

Remember the next time you don’t feel like having you time wasted by the T.S.A., just hop a flight over the border on ConAir; because in America we shakedown our citizens and allow our criminals to bypass the system entirely. Imagine a boarding process without the elimination of your constitutional rights, “for your own safety”. Those rights being violated with a complete shakedown by people who have to date, not captured a single terrorist. Maybe if we put all of these eyes and security measures on the southern border, we could boost their numbers. I can think of more than one rude and out-of-shape T.S.A. agent that I’ve encountered in my time that could use reassignment to dismounted, rugged terrain patrol.

As for national defense policy, I spoke with the Air Force, Global Strike Command, whose missions is “to provide strategic deterrence, global strike, and combat support.” To follow up on their role in national defense, they nor the Air Force truly have one. The days when the Strategic Air Command and NORAD, the predecessors of GSC watched the skies for America are over. Air defensive measures are now under the exclusive command and control of the Department of Homeland Security. The Air Force doesn’t have the authority or time for you.

This Air Force radar site at the Barry M. Goldwater Range in Arizona is for the tracking of training flights, not national defense. Image courtesy of Buck Clay.

There is a surge of real information on the wave, and the opportunity to understand the nature of the border, what drives it and how to address it other than talking about walls that will fail, or whoever happens to be POTUS. Walls can always be breached or bypassed, and those guys are just Presidents, not kings after all. Anyway if part of a large company, would you sit around and complain about the C.E.O., while your manager was screwing you over? I hope not, but we need to get past the blame the leader and quick fix mentality that continues to fail us and our national defense.

It is up to the American people to challenge our leaders with unconventional thinking to properly address these issues. We are facing a unique threat that challenges our comfort zones which force a realization as to what the world is outside of our bubbles, and that is the primary reason it has manifested to this debacle.

Featured Image – Not an illegal flight, nor near the border. Courtesy of Brandon Webb.

We thought this story would be interesting for you, for full access to premium original stories written by our all veteran journalists subscribe here .

About the Author

Buck Clay
is an American. He served eleven years for God and Country with the illustrious Airborne Combat Engineers and dedicated four of those years traveling to wonderful faraway lands where he dug around in the dirt looking for bombs. After much soul searching, he decided to return to academia. There he obtained two additional university degrees, and he is now pursuing a fourth - because university is fun. Currently, he travels around quite a bit, and finds comfort on sunny desert mountaintops and seaside resorts where people try to kill him.

Comments

To comment on this article please join/login.
Here's a sample of the comments on this post.

Michael L

So did I, used to go to Nogales to pick up M160's (double the size of M80s) as a teenager, so we can launch them with a wrist-rocket at flocks of pigeons that would sit on the electrical wires over the top of our cars trashing the windshields and paint - we had to use burn timing down to a science. Foolish young man - sorry PETA!

notfastenuf

Don't forget about the tail number exceptions with the FAA (private pilot here).
Aircraft that had 2-inch markings displayed before November 1, 1981, and an aircraft manufactured after November 2, 1981, but before January 1, 1983, may display those marks until the aircraft has been repainted, restored, or changed.
Antique/classic aircraft: Aircraft built at least 30 years ago, or an aircraft issued an experimental certificate under FAR 21.191(d) or (g) for operation as an exhibition aircraft or as an amateur-built that has the same external configuration as an aircraft built at least 30 years ago may display marks at least 2 inches high.
Right, so basically there is no enforcement, since probably half the single-engine small aircraft flying are built before 1981. Not saying 12 inch tail numbers is the end all be all, but if it's the primary piece of evidence... nevermind. (face palm as well).
I'm so glad I'm Pre / Clear / Global Entry so I don't have to interact with them as much.

Chris V

I grew up in Southern AZ. To say that it's an open door is an understatement. I remember riding quads/dirt bikes on some of the trails near the border. More than a few times we'd get buzzed by an unmarked Cobra or Apache Helo. We would regularly see aircraft flying slow and low with an east/west heading.. The assumption was Customs was patrolling the area....
Our current situation almost seems deliberate... We are losing the war on common sense.

Jessica S

Well I'm so glad TSA spent their time and mine doing something productive like pulling my bag apart because a tube of lipstick "kind of" looked like a bullet... and thank goodness they ran the wand over my Miniature Schnauzer! What a joke.

Antonio A

That is what would make this more logistically feasable. Figured it couldn't get any easier.